the chromatic CEO?

02/24/2010

by anne lueneburger

This 60 second aptitude test on careerbuilder.com asks you to rank order around 15 colors. It suggests that “preferred” colors point towards ideal career paths and that “non-preferred” colors indicate which tasks and roles you least enjoy at work.

This assessment gained some public attention as hundreds of CEOs, including those leading Fortune 500 firms such as Bayer, Golden West Financial, Hard Rock International and Leggett & Platt, have taken it. Their color choices and profiles were compared to over 750,000 test takers. Many (not all!) of these CEOs were positively surprised about the accuracy of the results, which claimed to sum up their personality traits and preferences.

Among the common traits for CEOs, based on these color preferences, were a heightened need for privacy, increased sensitivity and they were found to display less desire for ‘perfectionism’ than a control group of general executives.

Interestingly, CEOs seem to be more collaborative and less self-assured than is generally assumed.

As a result of their color preferences, individuals who are CEO material are more likely to be suggested not only for upper management positions, but also for careers such as artist, teacher and social worker. Could one interpret this as a distinct ability to think ‘big picture’, to be creative, and to inspire others to develop and reach their full potential? Possibly…

If you decide not to invest the one minute to take this assessment, know that if your favorite color is magenta and if you dislike red and yellow, you may well be on your way of joining the world of CEOs … If you are not there already!